All My Children Commentary

Current Two Scoops column

AMC star talks about being booted from flight:
All My Children's Jennifer Bassey (ex-Marian Colby) tells her side of the incident that got her kicked off a Delta flight last week. Read the column now...

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For just a moment Tad must have wondered if Adam's insanity was contagious. As the airy voice asked him if he was ready to confess, Tad's face froze in an expression of shock and slight fear. A look on enlightenment covered his face and he smiled slightly. He called out to Jake, thinking that the mystery voices were part of Jake's secret plan. Had he not spoken, the mystery woman might never have known that she was putting on a performance for the wrong person. Tad searched around, but couldn't find anyone. He turned his attention towards the vent, but before he could investigate, Adam showed up. Inside the wall, Joy's heart pounded as she worried that Tad might tell Adam about the voice her heard. Tad told Adam that he had dropped by to assure him that Jake and Liza were not having an affair. Adam, his nerves frazzled, didn't believe Tad and ordered him to get out of his house. Adam slammed the bedroom door shut and pleaded with Joy to leave him alone.

The hint of being tied in to Adam's near-death caused David to go on the warpath. He asked Liza of she thought that he'd tried to kill her husband. Liza shrugged indifferently and noted that "accidents happen." David reminded the station owner that he was the one who had saved Adam's life. That evoked a groan from Liza as she feigned being disappointed that her husband had survived. She found it convenient that David happened to be nearby with the necessary antidote to wrestle Adam from the jaws of death. David was tempted to walk out of the office, but Liza kept him around for a little while longer by claiming that she knew why David had tried to kill Adam. She explained that with Adam out of the way, she could start a new life with Jake. Of course that would leave Allie alone and broken-hearted. David, the man she referred to cheekily as an expert at mending broken hearts, could swoop down and get the woman he wanted. She made no effort to hide the fact that she knew why David had set up shop in Pine Valley. David still denied everything Liza said. Suddenly he realized what was going on. He looked around the office nervously and accused Liza of planting a secret camera to tape his supposed confession. He looked at her coldly and again denied being involved in the medical mix-up. He insisted that Jake---a screw-up who would never amount to anything---was pointing the finger at him so that he could hide his incompetence. David told Liza that she can do whatever she wants to get rid of her husband, but he'll be no part of her devious deeds. He turned and walked away. Liza grabbed her coat and dashed out of her office.

Dimitri asked Bianca why she would want to disappear. Bianca tried to dodge the question by reminding Dimitri that he, too, wished he could vanish from the planet. Dimitri felt he had good reason to feel like that. After all, he'd done some pretty bad things over the last year. But Bianca had her whole life ahead of her---what could make her feel so poorly? He offered her an apple slice, but that only made Bianca angrier. She accused him of playing a "shrink game" to get her to eat. She loudly proclaimed that she wasn't hungry and that she didn't want any food. Dimitri pressed gingerly, asking why she wasn't hungry. Surprisingly, Bianca had an answer for him. Her face wrinkled up and she described how nothing she eats tastes good. When she does find something that's suitable, it gets stuck in her throat. Dimitri hoped to find something that would appeal to Bianca's tastebuds. She helped him along by relating her longing for her grandmother's corned beef. Dimitri had a connection to a culinary master: Peggy. He phoned Peggy and asked her try her hand at cooking up a batch of corned beef. Peggy delivered the goods and Bianca gobbled down a little bit of the dish. It wasn't a lot, but it was a crucial first step for the frail young girl.

A gaggle of men lined up outside of Janet's office at Enchantment preparing to audition for the part of Axel Green. Erica followed the trail of men and asked Janet what she was cooking up. Janet tried to play it coo, but when one of the actors entered her office and asked for more information on Axel Green, Erica knew what was going on. Erica wove herself into Janet's scheme by offering to help audition the men. She noted that Janet had little experience with professional acting. Janet agreed to let Erica sit in on the auditions. The first Axel contender might have looked the part, but his performance was not believable. He spoken haltingly as though he were reading his lines directly off of the script Janet had prepared. The second actor acted like a stereotypical soap opera star. Every line was uttered with a surplus of emotion and drama. The third candidate could have been considered a macho hunk, but his attitude just didn't fit the billing. He was more of a rebellious Jimmy Dean-type than a travelling salesman. With the audition of the fourth actor, finally the part seemed filled. The man's words were smooth and full of emotion. There was only one thing that prevented him from taking the part---his ego. He demanded a wide range of perks for taking the role. When Janet told him that the part wasn't on stage, he asked her to explain what she meant. She told him that she needed him to pretend to be her ex-husband and to take her out to dinner. The man's eyebrows raised and he told Janet that he would not play her male escort. He advised her to call a "900 number" and stormed out of the office. Erica chased after the man, but he wasn't going to return. Finally, a short, slender, balding man entered the office and asked if he could try out for the part. Janet didn't want to give him a shot because she wanted someone who could make Trevor feel inadequate. This man wasn't going to do that. She agreed to let him read the script. He opted to improvise and as he and Janet conversed, Trevor entered the room. "This is Axel," he laughed.

At Myrtle's, Jake and Allie discussed their feelings for each other. Things went off track a bit when Allie worried that their plan to get rid of David might not work. Jake assured her that everything would work out. Things turned amorous between Jake and Allie looked ready to express their love for each other in a more physical way. As Allie unbuttoned Jake's shirt, Liza burst into the room. She knew instantly that she'd interrupted something. She turned her back to them and apologized profusely. Both Allie and Jake told her that she could stay. Liza blushed, but she couldn't let her embarrassment get in the way. She told the couple that David had accused her of setting him up. Allie's fears materialized again, but Jake told both women that he'd prepared for such a plot twist.

Tad wandered downstairs and bumped into Stuart. He asked Adam's brother if Adam had ever mentioned anything about hearing voices or seeing things. Stuart nodded and seemed surprised that Tad knew anything about the specter. Stuart told Tad that they'd hired a psychic to check for a presence in the house and that the psychic concurred that Adam was definitely being haunted by Joy. The name hit Tad like a ton of bricks. He asked Stuart to tell him more about Joy. Stuart only had time to tell Tad about Adam's "hallucinations" and the strange sounds coming from the passageways. Adam entered the room and asked Tad why he hadn't left. Tad didn't want to draw Adam's wrath, so he agreed to leave. Stuart offered to get Adam a cup of tea. Adam agreed and they both left the room. When the coast was clear, Tad re-entered the room and entered into one of the secret passages. Adam returned to the room when he heard the doorbell sound. David had dropped by with urgent news about Liza. Meanwhile in the passageway, Tad came across the mystery woman's stash of magic tricks. He didn't really know what it was that he'd found, but the basin of blood certain made him curious. The earthly phantom hovered in the shadows watching Tad. She feared that she'd be found, so she ducked out of sight. As she went into hiding, she knocked over some old boards. Tad heard the noise and moved in for a closer look.

Allie, Jake, and Liza put their heads together to try to figure out where David had gone and what he could possibly be up to. They all knew that David was a cunning and dangerous man. Their fourth wheel provided them with the information they needed. Stuart phoned to let them know that David had shown up at Chandler Mansion. Downstairs in the mansion, David convinced Adam that he was there to give him medical advice. Adam allowed the cardiologist to enter his home. He offered the doctor a glass of brandy, but David pointed out that alcohol wouldn't help Adam's condition. After placing the call, Stuart raced downstairs and asked David why he was there. He watched in horror as Adam prepared to drink a glass of an unknown liquid that David had poured for him. Thinking that the drink was laced with poison, Stuart grabbed the glass and gulped down the drink. Adam watched his brother curiously and asked him what he was doing. Stuart asked David why he'd given Adam something to drink. Adam fielded the question for the doctor, telling his brother that he wanted a glass of brandy but David felt it was a bad idea and gave him some water instead. If the drink was water, Stuart asked, why was it fizzy? Adam rolled his eyes and explained that the glass had been filled with soda water. Stuart felt slightly embarrassed, but he wasn't about to show his cards. Adam asked his brother to go back to doing whatever it was he was doing before he started acting so strangely. As Stuart left, he heard David issue a surprising prescription for Adam's health and happiness: Divorce Liza immediately.

Back at Myrtle's, the brainstorming session gave Allie and Liza the munchies. They ordered a pizza and rather slyly convinced Jake to pick up the tab. While Jake was out of the room paying for the snack, Allie asked Liza about her feelings for Adam. It seems that Allie detected a note of concern when she learned that David had dropped by Chandler Mansion. Liza admitted to being concerned for Adam's health, but she stopped short of saying that she wanted to get back together with her husband. Adam always found a way to push her buttons, Liza told Allie, but there was still something magical about her tyrannical husband. Jake returned to the room with the pizza just as the phone rang. He took the call, which happened to be from Stuart, and learned about David's divorce talk. Jake informed Stuart to do everything in his power to stop the talks. He knew that if Adam decided to divorce Liza, it would bring an end to their plot.

As the footsteps approached her location, the mystery woman grabbed a board to fend off the trespasser. Of course, she, too, was trespassing, but that really didn't seem to matter. Before the mystery woman could see who was approaching, she pummeled the intruder on the head with the board. Tad tumbled to the ground. He was out cold. The woman dropped to her knees and instantly knew she'd made a terrible mistake. "I thought you were Adam," she said softly as she stroked Tad's hair. She urged him to open up his "beautiful baby blues," but Tad didn't so much as move his pinky. She asked him why he'd gotten himself involved in Adam's haunting. Tad mumbled slightly and his eyes opened partially. Tad managed to see a fuzzy image of his mystery woman before collapsing again. The mystery knew that she had to do something. She had to get Tad help before something really bad happened to Tad.

Janet introduced Trevor and the faux Axel. The man was overjoyed and asked if he'd gotten the part. "Part? What part?" Trevor asked. Janet was quick on her feet and explained that the part Axel was talking about was the part where he gets to meet "the other man." Janet pulled Axel aside and dropped him a subtle about her background with Trevor. Keep in mind, the man had absolutely no idea that this was the real magilla. Axel's improvisational skills were right on the mark. He acted like a macho man who wanted to make sure that another man didn't interfere with the love of his life. He clasped his hands together and told Janet that he thinks he and Trevor will have to "thrash it out." Trevor took off his coat and appeared ready to grapple. Janet knew that Trevor would make short work of the actor, so she had to think up a way to keep the two men from coming to blows. She advised Trevor that "small packages pack a big wallop" and praised Axel's experience in the martial arts. She asked Trevor if she could have a few minutes alone with Axel and Trevor obliged. When he left the room, Janet finally broke down and told the hired Axel the truth about her predicament. She told him that Trevor was a man with whom she had been in a relationship. For reasons that she said she could not explain, she needed to break it off with him. The man wasn't disappointed that the acting gig wouldn't make him rich and famous. He thought of Janet as a nice lady who needed some help. As long as he was paid for the performance, he agreed to help her out. Trevor returned to the room and Axel instructed Janet to leave the room while he and Trevor talked. Outside, Janet begged for Trevor to understand why she was trying to get rid of him. Of course he couldn't hear her, but Janet needed to get some things off her chest. Inside, Axel tried to impress Trevor with his feelings for Janet. Since he didn't know the woman he was talking, he couldn't go into too much detail on what it was that he liked in Janet. Trevor capitalized on this and blew Axel out of the water. Trevor described how he loves the sound of Janet's laugh and how her skin reminds him of cream. It was apparent that Trevor really loves Janet and the actor knew it. Janet listened to the conversation and when she realized that Axel was in trouble, she returned to the room and appealed to Trevor to accept the fact that their relationship was over. Axel wasn't so kind in his demands. He ordered Trevor to "disengage" himself from Janet's life. Trevor shook his head and wondered what language Axel was speaking. Trevor reluctantly agreed to leave. He walked out of the office and closed the door behind him. He stopped momentarily and looked back at the door. He reached out to grab the doorknob, but he fought the urge and continued on his way. In the office, Axel told Janet that it was obvious that Trevor loved her deeply. He asked her if she was sure that she wanted to lose that love. With tears forming in her eyes, Janet couldn't find the words to answer. She nodded her head and wiped the tears from her eyes.

Adam thought that David's idea made a lot of sense. Stuart scampered down the steps and asked David why he was still there. Again Adam was taken aback by Stuart's bizarre behavior. Stuart told David that Adam never gives up on the women he loves. He ordered the doctor to leave immediately or risk getting his block knocked off! David laughed condescendingly at Adam's brother. Adam knew that Stuart wasn't going to allow him to finish his conversation with David and told David that they'd do lunch to finish their chat. Once David had left, Adam asked Stuart to give him one good reason why he shouldn't have him carted off to the Oak Haven sanitarium. Stuart bowed his head and simply stated that he might not be smarter than Adam, but that he can still protect Adam for things that could harm him. Adam thought about what Stuart had said and realized that he could not give up on his relationship with Liza. There was a loud knock coming from inside the walls. The Chandler brothers looked at each other. Adam told Stuart that he was going to investigate. Stuart raced off to phone Jake and tell him that he foiled David's plans to talk Adam into divorcing Liza. Meanwhile, a very concerned Adam came across Tad's near lifeless body inside the passageway. He managed to rouse Tad, but Tad had no idea where he was. He had just had a vivid fantasy of dancing with his mystery woman. That led him to ask Adam where he learned to dance so well. Obviously the blow to the head had blurred the line between fantasy and reality. Adam helped Tad out into livingroom and gave his head a thorough inspection. Tad couldn't recall how he'd gotten into the passages or even why he was there. Adam, who displayed a level of concern unlike any he'd displayed in recent memory, told Tad that he was going to call a doctor. Back inside the wall, the mystery woman packed up her belongings and prepared to move to yet another location.

It's only February, but that didn't stop Gillian from doing a little pre-Spring cleaning at the hunting lodge. As previously seen, the furniture in the lodge was covered with old bedsheets. If the sight of Gillian playing housekeeper seems amusing and confusing, imagine how Eugenia felt when she saw the spectacle for herself. Eugenia sat down in a chair and reminded Gillian that Edmund has housekeepers who are paid to clean up. Gillian grinned modestly and explained that she was preparing the lodge for a rendezvous with Scott. If all went well, she sighed, Scott would propose to her on the spot. Eugenia should have been overjoyed, but she wasn't. She asked Gillian what would happen after the honeymoon. Gillian sort of shrugged her shoulders and really didn't have much of a response. Eugenia told her granddaughter to sit down. The truth had finally found its way to Eugenia; she knew that she was penniless. No tears were shed and it didn't appear that Eugenia was all that devastated. She told Gillian that her solicitor had sent her a letter explaining that her monthly allowances had been terminated. Eugenia knew that Gillian was only interested in Scott for one reason---his inheritance. Gillian claimed that wanting to marry Scott was her way of thinking of her grandmother and her need to live a lavish lifestyle. Eugenia chuckled to herself and noted that she'd lived without money once before and that she can do it again. All one needs to survive is the love of someone else. She apologized for possibly misleading Gillian into thinking that money was the root of all happiness. Gillian denounced love as a meaningless nuisance. Edmund and Maria had love, she snarled, and look what happened to then! "If you really love someone," Eugenia said prophetically, "you never lose them." The woman told her granddaughter that she'd understand one day when she finds love and her heart.

Tense moments at Tempo between Edmund and Jim threatened to ignite a brawl between the two men. Jim sneaked into Brooke's office and, in the dark, used a small light to rummage through her files. While walking by the office, Edmund saw the intruder and confronted him. When Edmund realized that Jim was sticking his nose into Brooke's investment portfolio, he threatened to call Brooke and tell her what Jim was up to. A smug expression dripped off of Jim's face as he boasted that he was given permission to look at Brooke's files. Edmund waited for the supposed good reason that Jim had to be spying on Brooke. He never expected Jim to tell him that Brooke had accepted his proposal! Edmund still didn't believe that Jim had been given the green light to look at the portfolio and he advised Jim to wipe his fingerprints from the office before leaving. Jim decided it was an appropriate time to lay down some guidelines. Since the two men were going to be working together, Jim wanted to set "Ed," as he called him provokingly, straight. Unlike Ed, Jim pointed out that his father had not given him a fortune. Everything he had, he had to fight for himself. Among his greatest assets was the woman in his life. Jim issued a stern warning to Edmund to keep away from Brooke---she doesn't need him any more. One day, Edmund said biting his lip, Brooke will realized that Jim is the "mother of all losers." And when that days comes, Jim will be kicked to the curb.

At WRCW, Kelsey told Ryan that their ski trip had failed to produce the desired results. Ryan called the weekend an "investment" that would pay off for her down the line. Kelsey didn't want to wait to get Scott---she wanted him now. The pair heard Scott approaching, so they put on a kissing demonstration in the hopes of driving Scott crazy. It worked. He lectured them on the indecency of their public display of affection and turned and walked away. Kelsey chased after him and apologized for her actions. Scott explained that he was still concerned that Kelsey was involved with Ryan. He insisted that Ryan was only looking for a good time. Kelsey refuted the claim, saying that Ryan loved and needed her. She asked why she shouldn't "give" herself to a man like that. It looked like Scott and Kelsey were going to kiss, but Scott pulled away and reminded Kelsey about her former obsessions with Edmund and Bobby. Kelsey turned the table and told Scott that his fixation with Gillian is based only on sex. Scott agreed. Unlike Kelsey in her relationships, he has no emotional attachment to Gillian. He's in the relationship solely for the physical aspect. He told Kelsey that his relationship with Laura broke his heart and that he would never put himself out on the limb again.
Kelsey moped back to the office and told Ryan that she had good news and bad news. The good news, of course, was that Scott had no feelings for Gillian. The bad news was that he might never have feelings for anyone again. Scott returned to the office and seemed peeved that Kelsey was still around. Ryan noted that their party was missing someone. On cue, Gillian entered the office and planted a kiss on Scott.

Amanda was sent home from school because she didn't well. Even though Trevor was going to pick her up, Amanda had the school nurse phone Janet to let her know that she wasn't feeling well. When Janet showed up at The Dillon House, Trevor wondered if Amanda was faking her illness in an attempt to get him and Janet together. The girl really was sick, but she admitted that she was trying to mend Janet and Trevor's relationship. She looked at Janet and told her that she cannot accept the fact that she'd gotten back together with Mr. Green. Janet carefully explained that she was happy with her ex-husband, but added that her love for Amanda was unwavering. It was time for Amanda to go to bed, but while her body might have been ready to sleep, her mind was still aflutter with ideas. As her father tucked her into bed, she asked him what his secret plan was to win Janet back. Trevor denied having a plan. He insisted that he was going to let Janet live her life and that if it meant that they would not be together... then that's just the way it would have to be.
Trevor returned downstairs where Janet was still waiting. She asked Trevor if Amanda was okay with her explanation. Trevor nodded. She then asked Trevor if he was going to allow her and Axel to live peacefully. "Guess again, toots," Trevor smiled. He called himself a "tenacious" man who wouldn't ever give up on the woman he loved. He leaned over and gave Janet a kiss. She submitted to his lips---but only for a moment. She jumped to her feet, grabbed her coat, and raced out of the house. She later called "Axel," and told him that contrary to what she'd said earlier, she needed him to gear up for another performance.

Fearing that it wasn't safe to talk anywhere else, Brooke went to Mateo and Hayley's apartment to tell them that Jim was on to them. Hayley confessed that they had a sinking suspicion that Jim had learned about their investigation---especially when the two thugs confronted them in the alley. Mateo pointed to his bruised right cheek. And stated that Brooke's "boyfriend likes to play rough." Speaking haltingly, Brooke replied that Jim was not her boyfriend---he was her fiancé! Hayley waited for Brooke to say that she was kidding. Brooke defended Jim as a man who had saved her life and helped her hold on to her sanity. Tears flooded her eyes as she promised not to turn her back on Jim and to give his story the benefit of the doubt. Not wanting to be seen as a pessimist, Hayley asked Brooke what would happen if Jim was lying. Mateo accused Brooke of fighting her gut feeling that was telling her that Jim was responsible for blowing up Flight 149. Brooke countered with an unanswerable question---Why would Jim get on a plane that he knew was going to blow up? Reality began clouding the fantasy that Brooke so desperately wanted to hold on to. Jim was the man who had held her and told her that everything was going to be okay. If everything he told her was a lie, her whole world would shatter. Mateo vowed to continue his investigation even if Brooke wanted nothing to do with it. Brooke supported the idea. The doorbell sounded and Hayley rose from the couch to answer the door. The door swung up... and Jim was standing on the other side.

Kelsey nearly flipped her lid when Gillian announced that she had made special plans for her and Scott. She nearly lost it when the couple left the office arm-in-arm. Ryan tried to get Kelsey to calm down, but she was too upset that Gillian had "won." Ryan noted that "love may be a battlefield, but it's rarely fatal." The allusion conjured up a rather vivid daydream for Kelsey. She imagined that she was a nurse during wartime and that Scott was injured in battle. He was rushed into her makeshift hospital. Suddenly, the evil general, which in this case was Gillian, burst into the room and demanded that she be given the prisoner. Kelsey snapped back to reality, but only for a few moments. She bounced in and out of fantasy for the remainder of her discussion with Ryan. Kelsey claimed that she wasn't really in love with Scott, she only wanted to save him from Gillian. Ryan didn't buy it and in an effort to get Kelsey to 'fess up, he admitted that he wasn't just being friendly by trying to help her win Scott. He, too, had something to gain. Kelsey's eyes squinted together as she tried to figure out what prize Ryan was playing for. Surely it couldn't be Gillian because she loathes him. Loathe, Ryan said, is an emotion right next to love. Once the shock of Ryan's confession had worn off, Kelsey admitted that she's falling in love with Scott. She worried that falling in love with Scott would spell disaster considering how badly her relationships with Bobby and Kevin had gone. Ryan had a plan to make everyone happy. He told Kelsey to find out where Gillian and Scott were going to be spending the evening. When Scott returned, the couple staged another kiss. Ryan left the office, but hovered in the hallway to eavesdrop on Kelsey and Scott's conversation. Kelsey managed to extract the secret trysting location, as Ryan called it, from Scott: the hunting lodge. Ryan dashed down the hall. Meanwhile, Kelsey laid her trap by telling Scott that she would be spending a romantic evening with Ryan in his hotel room.

At the hunting lodge, Gillian continued decorating for her evening of passion. She heard footsteps behind her and complained to herself that Scott had arrived too early. She turned around as the door swung open. The mystery visitor was not Scott---it was Dimitri. Gillian dropped her bag of groceries and grabbed a poker from the fireplace. She held it out like a sword and threatened to stab Dimitri if he didn't back away. Dimitri insisted that he had no intention of harming Gillian. He explained that he'd been riding and saw a car near the lodge and wanted to make sure that no one was breaking into the lodge. Gillian didn't believe her cousin's tale. After all, the last time they'd seen each other Dimitri tried to kill her! Dimitri had to laugh at his irrational behavior, but his laughter made Gillian even more uncomfortable. He asked her to put down the poker and listen to him. He apologized for acting so cruelly and begged for Gillian's forgiveness. Dimitri sat down on one of the chairs and remembered all the happy times he'd had in the lodge. He stood up and helped Gillian pick up the bag of groceries that she'd dropped. When he saw the contents---oysters, caviar, and paté ---he knew that Gillian was planning a romantic evening. Gillian smiled coyly and told her cousin that she was a woman now and could have romantic evenings if she wanted to. Dimitri hoped that some of the magic he'd experienced at the lodge would still be there for Gillian. They two finally mended fences and shared a hug. Dimitri wished Gillian "good hunting" before leaving.

Hayley was surprised, to say the least, to see Jim at the door. She asked Brooke if she'd been expecting Jim to drop by. Brooke rose to her feet and called Jim's appearance a "pleasant surprise." Mateo knew that something had to be said in order to prevent an awkward silence from engulfing them. He congratulated Jim on his engagement. Of all the things he could have said, this was the one he should have avoided. Jim puckered his lips and expressed his desire to marry Brooke---if Hayley and Mateo don't blow his plans sky high. Nervous glances were exchanged, as it appeared that Jim was about to fly off the handle. Mateo stepped in to mount damage control, apologizing to Jim for acting irresponsibly. He explained that he felt compelled to find a reason for his sister's death. Mateo's foolish behavior, Jim growled, could put them all at risk. Hayley announced that she would be dropping her part of the investigation. That pleased Jim, but he waited for Mateo to say something. Mateo flat our refused to drop his investigation. Brooke walked towards him and told him that she wants to live happily with Jim and that a continued investigation would make that impossible. "Do it for me," she said softly. Reluctantly, Mateo agreed to back off. Jim extended his hand to Mateo and thanked him for cooperating.

In the supply closet, Jake thanked Liza in advance for helping with the next phase of the scam against David. Allie opened the door and slipped inside. She told the pair that David had just entered the staff lounge. Liza knew that it was show time and headed off to work her magic. Allie and Jake shared a kiss. Allie expressed her desire to end their mission quickly so that she and Jake wouldn't have to hide in the supply closet. As they kissed, Joe entered the supply closet. Allie got extremely nervous and announced that she had to leave to "do that thing." Jake waited for a lecture from his father. He claimed that he and Allie were "consulting." Joe's stern expression indicated that he wasn't going to fall for Jake's horrible lie. "When your mother and I used to 'consult' in the supply closet," Joe commented, "we used to put something in front of the door."

In the staff lounge, Liza tried to offer her apologies to David for accusing him of a serious crime. She explained that she'd been talking to her lawyer about divorce plans just before he'd arrived in her office. David accepted the peace offering. Liza explained that the divorce was taking longer than she expected and that it was draining her emotionally. She expressed a need for love, not just a large hunk of cash. David wondered what Liza sees in Jake and asked her point-blank about it. Liza explained that she couldn't live without Jake just as Allie entered the lounge. She demanded to know why Liza, who wasn't an employee, was in the staff lounge. Allie's face voiced her displeasure at seeing Liza. She told Liza that she knew all about her plans to seduce Jake, but informed her that her plans weren't going to succeed. The conversation turned extremely bitter. Liza accused Allie of not being able to give Jake what he really needs. Allie wondered how Liza could know what a mean really needs considering she's lost three men---Tad, Jake, and now Adam. Adam, Liza sneered, like the others want her back. "Maybe on your back," Allie snapped. Liza took Allie's insult and turned it against her, implying that Allie couldn't satisfy a man in bed. Allie slapped Liza for the comment setting off a huge catfight. The two women clawed and scratched at each other until Joe and Jake entered the lounge and broke them apart. Joe demanded an explanation for the fight, but no one spoke up. He issued Allie a warning for fighting and stormed off. Liza looked at a gash on her arm and demanded that she be given medical attention. Jake was concerned for Liza and held her hand as he checked the severity of the wound. Allie didn't like the goo-goo eyes between Liza and Jake and demanded that Jake step away. Later in the supply closet, Jake and Allie were again caught kissing by Joe. Joe figured out that the fight in the lounge was staged, but he still did not appreciate the display of violent and issued Allie a stern warning never to let it happen again. Back in the lounge, David patched up Liza's wound. Liza complained that Allie was too annoying and making her reconsider her devotion to Jake. She milled the idea of returning to Adam, but David didn't want her to do that. He reminded her that she had said she couldn't live without Jake and told her that he'd think up a plan to allow her to get Jake once and for all.

Kelsey donned silk lingerie spotted with multi-colored hearts as she waited at the Valley Inn. She sat by herself for a long time and began to think that her plan to get Scott to show up had failed. When a knock sounded at the door, she crossed her fingers and hoped that she'd find Scott on the other side. She did. Over at the lodge, Gillian waited anxiously for Scott to arrive. She had no idea that Scott was across town. When the door opened and Ryan walked into the lodge, Gillian's face dropped.

Jim and Brooke returned to the Valley Inn. Brooke apologized for making things so complicated by telling Mateo about the loan shark. Jim told her that everyone makes mistakes and that she should not worry about it any more. He asked her if she'd told the kids about their engagement. Jim wanted to plan their wedding and suggested that they get married in February. February is just about halfway over and Brooke knew that they wouldn't have time to plan an elaborate wedding in a few short weeks. Jim suggested that they elope, but Brooke didn't like that idea either. She was trying desperately to push the date back as far as possible. She decided that she wanted to get married in Phoebe's garden. Since the flowers even close to blooming, she decided to set the date in June. Jim accepted the date. Brooke gathered her things and said that she wanted to go talk to Phoebe about the date and dashed off.

Mateo and Hayley wondered if Jim had bought their lie about giving up on the investigation. Hayley praised Mateo for playing everything so smoothly. His decision to cave in when Brooke asked him to do it for her was convincing. They both agreed that they'd jump back on the case in the morning. The couple kissed and made plans for Valentine's Day. Their passion and love for each other made them the happiest couple in the world. They wouldn't have been so happy had they known that Jim planted a bug in their apartment and had overheard every word they'd said.

Convinced that her catfight with Liza would push David over the edge, Allie finally began to think that she might be able to beat David as his own game. Still, there were pangs of guilt surrounding the situation. Allie felt bad that her not-so-honest past could result in Jake losing his job. The two shared a passionate kiss in the hallway of the boarding house. Both decided that they should take their passion into a more private place. They opted for Allie's room, but when they got inside the room they found that it had been invaded by costumes from the attic. A note from Myrtle explained that she needed a place to store the costumes while she helped look for items for Phoebe's Daughters of Fine Lineage fundraiser. One of the costumes caught Allie's attention and she ducked behind a screen to try it on. She had Jake cover his eyes so that he wouldn't see her costume until she was ready for him. When he was given the okay to look, he was awestruck by what stood before him---Allie dressed as Cleopatra. It didn't take long for the couple to get caught up in the moment. They began kissing and made love for the very first time.

Scott didn't want Kelsey to spend the night with Ryan. He instructed her to get dressed and go home with him, but Kelsey rebuffed him. Scott's hand brushed against Kelsey's shoulder as he tried to get her to leave with him. Scott wasn't about to let Kelsey give herself to a man who he felt was only after a notch on his bedpost. He told Kelsey that he was going to wait until Ryan showed up and tell him that Kelsey was not going to sleep with him. Kelsey's mind wandered and she had yet another daydream about the man of her dreams. This time she saw Scott as a superhero, swooping down to rescue her. Kelsey found it amusing that Scott could tell her what kind of man she needed, but that he couldn't find her a man that fit the description. Kelsey smiled bashfully and announced that she had an idea. Is it possible, she asked, for two good friends to become lovers? "You and me?" Scott asked.

At the hunting lodge, Gillian tried to get rid of Ryan. Ryan melded well the seductive atmosphere, but Gillian was quick to note that she hadn't gone to such lengths to seduce Ryan. Ryan looked at her longingly and told her that it was his plan to seduce her---even if she hadn't anticipated it. Gillian rolled her eyes and waited to see how Ryan's seduction tactic would match up the many, many men she'd been with before. Among Ryan's many techniques was making love with the lights on. He told Gillian that he wants to see the expression on her face while he's making love to her. It was rather presumptuous of him to think that he'd get a chance to make love to Gillian. When Gillian walked away from Ryan and sipped a glass of champagne, it signaled that she might be fighting a desire to succumb to Ryan's seduction. Gillian accused Ryan of thinking ahead and planning some grand scheme to get her into bed. Ryan denied her charges, saying that he never thinks ahead. Ryan urged Gillian to stop putting up a wall and asked her if she has any sexual fantasies. Then, without warning, Ryan ripped open his shirt and exposed his buffed torso. He took Gillian's hand and placed it on his chest.

Hayley blindfolded Mateo and led him to the bedroom. She told him that she wanted him to remember the romance they'd had while making love on the beach in Jamaica. She handed him a card and told him that he could remove his blindfold. Mateo opened the card and a look of astonishment overtook his face. "Just how pregnant are we?" Hayley was confused by his question. She explained that she wasn't pregnant. The picture of the baby on the inside of the card was her way of asking Mateo if he wanted to have a child with her. They'd talked about it before, but Mateo felt that the timing wasn't quite right. Things were different now. Mateo took Hayley's hand and told her that when they do have a child, he thinks his life will be complete. He confessed that he'd recently had a dream that they had a daughter. The couple kissed and Mateo told Hayley that he wanted to start trying to have a child.

At Linden House, Jack found Erica in tears. She told him that she'd have to cancel their date because Bianca's health had deteriorated. Bianca's doctor had phoned with the news that Bianca's electrolytes had dropped to dangerously low levels. If things didn't change, Bianca would have to be hospitalized and given a feeding tube. The image conjured up heartache for Erica who blamed herself for not being able to change her daughter's condition. Jack reminded her that she had nothing to do with Bianca's illness and told her that anorexia is as mysterious and difficult to cure as diseases like AIDS and cancer. Erica showed off a stack of books that she'd gotten from the library on anorexia. They both sat down and started to review the material in the hopes of finding something---anything that would provide a breakthrough. Each book offered a different approach and several provided conflicting advice. Erica's patience wore thin and she cursed the "insidious beast" that had taken hold of her child. Erica urged Jack to go someplace where he could have a good time. Jack stood by the woman he loved and told her that he wasn't going anywhere. He told her a story about two lovers, Jackson and Erica, and how they always seemed to find their way back to each other in spite of continued heartaches. One night they went to the Crystal Ball and something magical happened. Erica told Jackson that she loved him. The story went from third person to first person as Jack told Erica that he's always known he's loved her. He looked deep into her eyes and told her that he never wants to lose her again. Erica cocked her head to one side and asked him what he meant. He bent down on one before Erica and pulled a ring from his pocket. "I'd very much like to marry you," he said.

Love bloomed all over Pine Valley and no one seemed to be without someone to love. A heart of stone, however, lurked in the basement of Mateo and Hayley's apartment building. A mysterious intruder searched for the heating pipe that led to the young couple's apartment. A sign urged caution when working around the vents, informing all that a blocked vent could result in a backup of deadly carbon. That didn't stop the intruder from blocking up the vent.